Paper-clamp for typewriting-machines



A A. ZAISS. PAPER CLAMP FOR TYPEWRITING MACHINES. APPLICATION mm JULY21,1917.

1,327,,(3?5@ Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

' ual repression of the "tions of parts as re AT nr union.

ALMA A. ZAISS, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

Specification of Letters ratent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

Application filed. July 21, 1917'. Serial No. 183,833.

To all whom it may concern:

zen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county ofJackson and'St-ate of Missouri, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Paper-Clamps for TypeWriting-Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to paper clamps for typewriting machines, and isdesigned more especially as an improvement in the paper clamps, which inthe L. G. Smith typewriting machine, are mounted slidably with relationto the scale bars at the front of the platen. As well known, when anoperator is manifolding and desires to correct a mistake on the copiesas well as on the original without taking the sheets out of the machine,it is necessary to slide the clamps d the paper at both sides, afterwardre placing them, or to repress the fingers of the clamps to give accessto the point of correction on the carbon copies and to hold said platesor fingers repressed while making erasures on the different carbon 0copies. Frequently an error occurs at such a point that access can behad by slipping the right-v hand clamp beyond the corresponding marginsof the sheets of paper. the left-hand clamp cannot he slid beyond theleft-hand margins of the sheets unless the sheets are of less width thanlegal cap.

As legal cap is almost invariably used when making a plurality ofcopies, the manfingers of the clamps as above suggested, is usuallyresorted to when erasures are to be made. The object of the invention isto provide means to automatically latch the fingers of the clamp inrepressed position and thereby enablc the operator to make the necessarycorrections with the utmost facility.

With said object in view therefore, the invention consists in certainnovel and useful features of construction and combinahcrcinafterdescribed and pointed. out in the appended. claims; and in order that itmay be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanyingdrawing, in which Figure l is a front View of the platen,

J3 1 platen scale and carriage scale or the L. L.

Smith typewriting machine, and the paper clamps embodying my invention.

Fig. 2, is a cross section on the line II1I of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, is an enlarged perspective view of one member of one of saidpaper clamps.

Fig. 4, is a fragmentary perspective View of said paper clamp.

Referring to the drawing in detail, 1 are the base members and 2 thehinge members of the paper clamps, the hinge members belng identical inall respects with the corresponding clamp members of the typewriternamed, except that the outwardly projectmg lugs 3 thereof, are notchedin their lower edges so as to constitute rearwardly-facing hooks 4. Thebase member of each clamp is mounted slidably on a bar 5 secured back ofand parallel with the carriage scale bar 6, the connection being made bymeans of hooks 7 and 8, formed on said member and engaging the upper andlower edges of said bar 5, as customary. The connection be tween thebase member and the finger member of each clamp is the usual hingeconnection produced by engagement of a hinge rod '9, with hinge loops10-and 11 of the base member and finger member respectively, and a hingespring 12 is mounted on said rod and at its ends respectively engagessaid members, as customary, to hold the finger member pressed againstthe platen.

l have provided the base member with a resilient arm 13, extendingupwardly forward of the scale bar and terminating at its upper end in adown-turned hook it, and an upwardly-projecting finger piece 15 at oneend of said hook. The arm and hook constitute a spring catch so disposedwith relation to the lug 3, that when the plate or finger is swungforwardly asufficient distance to give proper access to the sheets ofpaper interposed between it and the platen or cylinder 16, the hook ofsaid lug will ride over and repress the spring catch until the loweredge of the hook 141 is cleared, when the resiliency of the catch willcause it to move forward again until its hook it interlock, with thehook l and thus retains the finger in its repressed position, asindicated in dotted lines, Fig. 2, and by Fig. at.

it will he understood that before the fin Mill gers are swung toinoperative position as ex plained, the platen will be turned to advancethe paper until the printing line is some distance above the highestpoint of the ribbon-holding plate, not shown, at the center of thecarriage, because when the paper is folded back, the fold line mustoccur below the line of printing wherein the correction is to be made asotherwise the said ribbon-holding plate will interfere with the foldingoperation and the spreading apart of the carbon sheets and carboncopies.

While the sheets are held in the position described, the erasures on thecarbon copies are made, and then the latches-are tripped by applyingrearward pressure on the finger pieces 15 untilthe hooks 14 and 4; aredisengaged. As this is accomplished the coil springs 12 snap theirrespective fingers back against the paper and the latter against theplaten. The platen is then turned back to dispose the line where theerasure has been, and the correction is to be made, in printing relationwith the type and then the proper character is typed on the original andproperly reproduced on the copies.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced apaper clamp for typewriting machines embodying the features of advantageenumerated as desirable, and while I have illustrated and described thepreferred embodiment of the invention it is to be understood thatlreserve the right to make such changes in the form, proportion, detailconstruction and arrangement of the parts as properly fall within thespirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination in a typewriting machine, of a platen, a bar parallelto and adjacent the platen at one side of the line thereof where thetype strike in the performance of their printing function, a slidablemember on said bar, a finger hinged to and projecting from said slidablemember to a point at the opposite side of the line of the platen wherethe type strike from that occupied by the bar, a spring for snapping andholding the finger against paper on the platen, and means for holdingthe finger withdrawn from the platen to permit the paper thereon to bedrawn forwardly therefrom.

2. The combination in a typewriting machine, of a platen, a barparalleling the platen, a paper clamp comprising a base member mountedon said bar, a finger member hinged to the base member, a spring tendingto press the finger member toward the platen, and a latch mechanismcomprising hooks carried by said base and finger members and adapted tointer mermalock when the finger member is swung forward a sufiicientdistance from the platen, one of said hooks being adapted to yield topermit the other to pass it and then spring back to interlock with saidother hook to retain the finger member in its inoperative position.

3. The combination in a typewriting ma chine, of a platen, a barparalleling the platen, a paper clamp comprising a base member mountedon said bar, a finger member hinged to the base member, a spring tendingto press the finger member toward the platen, and a latch mechanismcomprising hooks carried by said base and finger members and adapted tointerlock when the finger member is swung forward a sufficient distancefrom the platen, one of said hooks being adapted to yield to permit theother to pass it and then spring back to inter ock with said other hookto retain the finger member in its inoperative position, and means fortripping said hooks from engagement to permit the said spring to returnthe finger member to normal or operative position with relation to theplaten.

l. The combination in a typewriting machine, of a platen, a barparalleling the platen, a paper clamp comprising a base member mountedon said bar, a finger member hinged to the base member, a spring tendingto press the finger member toward the platen, and a latch mechanismcomprising a lug projecting forwardly from the finger member and formedwith a rearwardly facing hook at its lower edge and a resilient armprojecting upward and forward from the lower edge of the base member andterminating at its upper end in a downwardly and forwardly facing hook,standing normally in the plane of swinging movement of the first-namedhook and adapted to automatically interlock with the same when thefinger member is swung forward at sutfic'ient distance. M

5. The combination in a typewriting machine, of a platen. a barparalleling the platen, a. paper clamp comprising a base member mountedon said bar, a finger member hinged to the base member. a spring tendingto press the finger member toward the platen, and a latch mechanismcomprising a lug projecting forwardly from the finger member and formedwith a rearwardly facing hook at its lower edge, and a resilent armprojectng upward and forward from the lower edge of the base memher andterminating at its upper end in a downwardly and forwardly facing hook,standing normally in the plane of swinging movement of the first-namedhook and adapted to automatiailly interlock with the same when thefinger member is swung forlltl ward at sutficient distance; saidresilient arm in testimony whereof I affix my signahzwmg an upwardly proectmg place upon ture, 1n the presence of two wltnesses,

which pressure can be applied to repress the 9 LMA A ZAIS$ resilient armarid trip said hooks from engagement to permit the said spring to re-Witnessas:

turn the finger member to normal position F. M. THORPE,

with relation to the platen. G. Y. THUPJFED

